Those Emerald Eyes
by legolascrazy17
Summary: The Gryffindor seeker and the beautiful redhead; the two smartest students at Hogwarts have their toughest assignment yet: to figure out their feelings for each other! A LilyJames romance of a different style, set in their seventh year at Hogwarts.
1. A Beautiful Redhead

"Hurry Mum, we're going to miss the train!" cried an extremely agitated young woman of seventeen years.

"Lily dear, calm down," Mariah Evans said soothingly, sensing the obvious note of despair in her youngest daughter's voice. She tore her eyes away from the huge traffic jam that stood between their Chevy and King's Cross Station to meet her daughter's worried ones. Mariah couldn't help but allow a small smile to creep across her face. Looking at her dear daughter was like staring into a mirror. The reflection was nearly identical, except for the eyes. Lily's startling emerald green eyes flashed dangerously whenever she was angry...or frustrated, like now.

The young woman groaned from behind a curtain of thick, curly red hair that cascaded gently over her lean shoulders and slumped most un-ladylike in the passenger seat. Herma, her coal black owl, hooted angrily from her perch atop the black lacquered trunk currently taking residence of the back seat, reflecting the tense mood that had fallen on the car. For perhaps the thousandth time in the past hour, Lily questioned the other occupant of the car.

"Mum, why couldn't I just have Apparated to the station?"

Mariah Evans sighed and turned her attention back to the crowded London street that blocked their intended path. "Honey, you know my feelings about that."

Lily, having turned seventeen on June 24, was finally considered "of age" and had earned her Apparating license on her first try a week previously. She was quite skilled at the difficult magic, which was to be expected, for Lily Evans was the smartest witch in her year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In fact, only one person matched her grades and could even begin to challenge her intelligence; the arrogant, annoying, and (Lily grimaced at this particular thought) devilishly handsome James Potter. With his tousled black hair, beautiful hazel eyes, charming grin that made many of his admirers weak in the knees, muscular, toned, and lean body, and talent on the Quidditch field (not to mention his spot as Hogwart's #2 best prankster; second only to his best friend Sirius Black, who along with James and two fellow seventh years, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, made up the "Marauders," the group behind all of the best pranks and jokes pulled at Hogwarts), it was no wonder that all the girls in the school swooned when the popular young man walked in their midst. All except for one, of course.

James Gerad Potter had made it his mission since his first year at Hogwarts to annoy the heck out of a certain beautiful redhead. And succeed he did. Why, one may be asking? Ah. This was where a matter of young James's heart came in. Ever since Lily Evans had walked into his life on that fateful day in August six years ago, she had stolen his heart. He was hopelessly, undeniably, passionately in love with her. Of course, as a clueless guy, the only way he knew of communicating his feelings was by relentless teasing. Unfortunately, Lily happened to be the one and only girl in the history of Hogwarts ever to refuse a date with him. The way luck would have it, she rejected him not once, but over fifty times (the number of times he had asked her out since the fifth year, but who was counting?) It was quite obvious that she strongly disliked James—or so it would seem to observers of the two's interactions with each other. In reality, however...

The redhead shook herself out of her thoughts, cringing as she realized she had wasted three whole minutes think about that James Potter, when there were much more important things to be pondered. Such as how she was going to catch the Hogwarts Express by 11:00, when, according to her delicate silver wristwatch (a birthday gift from her grandparents) it was already 10:50. Turning her attention back to her mother, Lily had just opened her mouth to pursue the earlier topic of conversation when she noticed her mother was smirking. Most unattractive thing for a women of thirty-five years to do, especially her own mother. Rolling her eyes, the young woman said sweetly, "Yes Mum?"

"We have arrived." her smirk widened when she caught sight of the surprised look on Lily's face when she realized that the Chevy was now indeed taking up a parking space very close to Platform Nine.

"May I ask what, or shall I say whom has been in your thoughts? Perhaps that Potter boy...handsome young man he is, and he fancies you!"

"Evil woman!" Lily muttered, not being able to control the slight pink tinge that was slowly rising on her cheeks at the mere mention of James Potter. The truth was, the two had been corresponding all summer (by owl, of course) and, as much as she hated to admit, her opinion of the raven-haired young man had changed slightly. Perhaps he wasn't an annoying, conceited git all the time; just 95 of the time.

The letter exchange had begun a week after their sixth year at Hogwarts had commenced, in the form of a plea of help from James. Lily had almost keeled over in shock when she viewed the contents; James Potter was actually starting his summer Transfiguration assignment two and a half months before it was due! Being the procrastinating, lazy git he was, it was quite rare for one to find the good-looking Gryffindor Seeker hard at work in front of the roaring fire of the Common Room, head bent intently over a piece of parchment and quill scratching furiously. Instead, he relied solely on his great intelligence, charm, and ability to whip up essays and assignments over breakfast to earn him top marks. And, as usual, James Potter excelled with flying colors, as he did in all aspects of life. However, one question had stumped the boy in Transfiguration; therefore he sought help from a certain redhead who he knew could never resisting helping anyone in need. Lily sighed as she hopped lightly out of the car, carefully gathered her belongings, and bid her mother farewell. Tears welling up in her beautiful green eyes, the witch walked briskly through the wall separating Platform Nine and Ten, still deep in thought.

What had started out as homework help had quickly progressed to a constant stream of letters flowing from Godric Hollow to 54 Bullfrog Lane. At first, Lily tried hard to deny the fact that her heart beat a little faster when she saw a piece of parchment clutched in Goldeye's (James's owl) talons, bearing the name Lily Evans in James's neat, cursive scrawl. Admittedly, she hurriedly tore open the envelopes each time, anxious to see what the contents would reveal. James was very sweet and polite in his frequent letters, talking about his summer and asking about hers, and even going as far as apologizing for his actions for the past six years and begging for her forgiveness. The memory of one particular letter still made heat rise on her cheeks; the one when he admitted that he had changed over the summer; changed for her. _"I am hoping you will look at me with a different light this year, Lily Evans. I have changed drastically; for the better. For you. I know you despise me, or so it may seem, but I beg you, please give me a chance; give us a chance to become friends." _As truthful and sincere it had sounded, Lily wasn't the smartest witch in Hogwarts for nothing; she wanted concrete proof of the supposed-metamorphosis. Until then, he was an annoying prat in her mind. After all, James Potter wasn't the most accomplished prankster and jokester at Hogwarts for nothing; his talent at lying had helped him squeeze out of many a tight spot.

So involved in reminiscing, Lily did not realize she had successfully passed through the barrier; that is, until she ran into something very hard and...muscular. "Hello, Lily." came the unmistakable voice of James Potter. Just hearing it made petite butterflies in her stomach begin to flap their delicate wings. _"Just shock," _she thought almost-desperately, "_shock that he called me Lily instead of just 'Evans'."_ Removing herself from a most embarrassing position (her head was pressed against his quite firm chest, arms wrapped around his waist), Lily straightened her dark blue jean jacket, tucked a rebellious strand of hair around one ear and said quite casually, "Potter," as if she was quite accustomed to literally running into handsome men.

"Well, well, the Mudblood has found herself a boyfriend. My my, Potter, I though you could do much better than _her,_" came the cold drawl of Lucius Malfoy, disgust and hatred etched into his face as he took in the scene. Within a split-second, James's wand was prodding Malfoy's neck; its owner, in the deadliest whisper imaginable muttered through gritted teeth, "You're going to regret that Malfoy."

Lucius, however, calmly ran one slender hand through his pale blonde hair and said smugly, "Now Potter, I'd strongly advise you remove your wand from my body, for..." (he continued with a condescending air) "as the Head Boy of Hogwarts, it would be my great delight to delve out the most unpleasant punishments to those who point wands at other students...", but he never got to complete his sentence, for the warning bell for the Hogwarts Express rang shrilly. Black robes billowing, the Slytherin turned on his heel and shouted over his shoulder icily, "Unlike you and that worthless Mudblood, I have matters of great importance to attend to." Throwing another dirty glance at the pair, he strutted arrogantly into the Prefects Compartment. James, wearing a look of the utmost loathing was literally shaking with barely-concealed fury, looking the every bit like he would murder Malfoy in a second if given the chance.

"Come on, James!" Lily yelled, dragging him by the hand to the train while quickly levitating her trunk. Warmth washed through her whole body as their fingers met, but Lily brushed it off. Reflecting back on this event at a later time the beautiful redhead wondered why she had grabbed Potter's hand and finally wrote it off as a moment of temporary insanity. "_Non compos mentos,"_ she whispered softly. Still, it was difficult to deny the fact that the brief contact had felt great...well, more than great. Bloody wonderful!

The pair boarded the train seconds before it began to pull slowly away from the station. "That was bloody close," James a bit breathlessly, running his free hand through his tousled hair while turning to look at the petite redhead beside him. It was only then that Lily realized she was still holding his hand...quite tightly, as a matter of fact. "Er, sorry," she mumbled, mentally cursing her tendency to blush easily as a red tinge slowly rose on her cheeks. "I must go to the Heads Compartment, I'll see you later..." she paused, deciding what to call him, "James." She walked very briskly in the opposite direction, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard his response: "You know Lily; you're looking quite pretty today...would you fancy coming to our (the Marauder's) compartment when you're done with your duties?"

Lily, who had planned stalking away without the dignity of giving him a reply was quite surprised to hear the answer, "That would be great, James!" exiting her mouth.

"It's a date, Evans," the Gryffindor smirked, blowing her a kiss. Lily grimaced and continued her walk down the train. Perhaps he hadn't changed at all.


	2. The Journey to Hogwarts

**A/N:** **I would like to thank my wonderful reviewers so far! You five have inspired me to get this story cranked out ASAP, and lit a small flame of hope in my heart about my writing! I will update as quickly as possible...for you guys!**

**Miska: I offer the deepest thanks to you for being my first, best, and kindest reviewer (especially on my Lord of the Rings story). I'm happy you melted into a puddle of mush while reading the letter!**

**xLynex: Makes sense to me what you say...thanks for the great compliments!**

**passionflower24: This is the seventh year, Lucius is Head Boy and Lily Head Girl, and the only reason I made James a Seeker was to add an extra link/bond between him and Harry...thanks for pointing it out, though! **

**smellyokellyo: Again, thank you for the praise...you don't know how much it means to me!**

**fairybells3: I agree, James definitely isn't perfect (except perhaps perfectly handsome) I will try to update ASAP!**

**Again, I love you guys to pieces for your encouraging, great reviews**

James Potter waltzed into the Marauder's compartment in the best of moods. "Prongs!" Sirius cried out overdramatically. "Where have you been, my boy?" He embraced James like a brother, pretending to wipe tears away from his dancing dark brown eyes. With elegant thick black hair that for some reason always seemed to behave better than James's, an adorable, mischievous grin, and high spirits and intelligence that never seemed to dim, the charming Sirius Black, along with James, created quite a stir among the female population of Hogwarts.

"It's wonderful to see you, James," came the soft voice of Remus Lupin. Definitely the most levelheaded and reserved member of the group, he tried to invoke some common sense into the other three, but with no avail. Though he was a Prefect (appointed by Dumbledore in the hopes that he could exercise some control over his friends), Remus could rarely resist joining in the outlandish jokes, pranks, and schemes Sirius and James—the masterminds—formulated. James's spirits lessened slightly as he noticed Remus was looking more than a little bit peaky. His normally golden-blonde hair was pale and lifeless, and skin almost translucent. "_It must near the full moon,"_ he sighed. Remus, having been bitten by a werewolf as a young child when there was no cure turned into a full-fledged werewolf once a month. James shivered as he imagined how horrible it must be to have a terrible monster raging inside of you; one that you have absolutely no control over when its fury is unleashed once a month. He was reminded, though, of what the remaining Marauders had done to help make the transformation easier for their friend when he caught sight of a rather plump, ugly rat sitting on the seat beside Remus.

"Hello, Wormtail," he spoke to the rodent, who slowly morphed into the short, awkward figure of Peter Pettigrew. Peter, who was not the sharpest pencil in the box, obviously did not share the others' popularity or intelligence. Watery-eyed, with a rather twitchy, nervous personality, the timid 17-year old hero-worshipped Sirius and James; especially the latter's talent on the Quidditch field. His admiration was probably the only reason the remaining Marauders allowed him to hang out with them, for frankly, there was little other use for the weak young man. His lack of intelligence had hindered them many times, especially when they were working on becoming unregistered Animagi.

Remus had tried desperately to hide his terrible secret from the other three ever since they had bonded on their first journey on the Hogwarts Express, but eventually James and Sirius, being two of the cleverest students at Hogwarts, put the pieces of the puzzle together. Instead of dropping Remus like a dead fly, they did what only loyal friends would do: became Animagi. It took the large part of three years, but with a good bit of brains and practice, Peter, Sirius, and James could each turn into an animal at will; Peter a rat, Sirius a huge black dog, and James a beautiful stag. Every full moon they would roam the grounds of Hogwarts with the transformed Remus, having exciting adventure after adventure.

"So, mate, why were you so late?" Sirius asked, giving him a sly grin. "I assume it has something to do with Lillian for your face resembles a tomato. Quite an ugly tomato at that." He clapped him hard on the shoulder. "Spill it out, Prongs...what happened?"

James sighed good-naturedly, defeated, knowing that he could never keep anything from his inquisitive best friend. "Er-she...she... she held my hand."

"Our little Prongsie is turning into quite the young man," Sirius sobbed dramatically, clutching onto Remus for support. James rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Cut the theatrics, Padfoot. She only grabbed my hand to drag me onto the train."

"Ah, but you wished for much more," Sirius wiggled his black eyebrows suggestively, dodging the blow thrown his way by James.

"Porcutisi," James mumbled, pointing his wand directly at his friend's nose, which immediately metamorphisized into a pig's snout. "The look's rather becoming to you, mate," he chortled. Sirius could only oink most angrily in response.

Lily sprinted into the Prefect's Compartment, clutching her side and gasping desperately for air. "Sor-ry I'm la-te," she managed to get out, before collapsing into one of the red squishy armchairs nearby.

"Evans, as Head Girl I would think you would be more responsible," Lucius sneered. "Don't you own a wristwatch? The meeting started five minutes ago—without you."

Drawing herself up to her full height of 5 feet 6 inches, Lily angrily rose from the chair and stormed over to where the Head Boy stood, until their faces where mere centimeters apart.

"I will not take any more crap from you this year," Lily hissed. "I swear Malfoy, one more insulting remark and we start using wands."

Lucius, though he had lost some of his aloof demeanor when he remembered that Lily was an excellent dueler, chose to ignore her words and leering at her said, "Evans, Evans, Evans...don't think I don't know why your mouth is in such close proximity to mine...you want me to kiss you. Well, I'm terrible sorry, but I only kiss redheads on Thursdays, and filthy Mudbloods, never. So, if you want to improve your chance with me ... first find new parents, and then I can...A flash of bright purple light suddenly illuminated the compartment, cutting off his next words. Within seconds, Lucius Malfoy was flat on his back, sporting hundreds of huge, painful boils. One by one, they began to erupt, drenching his body in a foul-smelling green liquid that greatly irritated his skin. He moaned and crawled over to the door, scratching furiously at every inch of his body.

"And that, Prefects, it is a useful little spell used to silence stupid prats such as Lucius!" Lily said triumphantly. The incantation is '_boilus'_...one you would do good to remember." The Prefects were all staring at her in a mixture of awe and fury (the anger, of course, emanating from the Slytherin Prefects who did not appreciate what had just happened to the Head Boy). "Now, to get down to business..." she continued, flicking her wand slightly to clean up the remaining green goo left on the ground. The meeting passed by quickly, some mouths still hanging open at the display they had just witnessed...Lily Evans...the perfect, good-goody, super-smart Lily Evans had just cursed the Head Boy! What a story this would be to tell!

"Tell me, "Head Girl," where does it state that the Heads are allowed the privilege to freely curse unprovoked whomever they please?" came a cold question from the corner. Lily whirled around, rattled at having been interrupted during her practiced speech, and gritted her teeth when she saw who had spoken.

"Unprovoked my buttocks," Lily retorted, casting a deadly glare in Severus Snape's direction. Severus Snape, (or Snivellus, as the Marauders liked to call him), was a cold, sly, greasy-haired wizard unpopular with most of Hogwarts, except his own house, which obviously was Slytherin. Being close friends with Lucius, he made it a habit to be as cruel as possible to both James and Lily and attempted to make their lives miserable. Attempt was the key word here. Many a time he found himself as the receiver of particularly nasty spells sent his way by James and the rest of the Marauders or flat on his back after a duel with James. Still he never gave up in his ruthless, cold-hearted insulting, but both Lily and James, though deeply angered by his words, had learned to not let the remarks get to them. Delving deep into the Dark Arts and potion making, Severus held truth to the belief that there was not one witch or wizard in Slytherin that did not go bad. It was even rumored that he was a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's followers. Voldemort. Just thinking the name gave Lily the shivers. Voldemort, an extremely evil and powerful dark wizard who had slowly risen to power over the last few years, hated Muggles, Mudbloods and Half-Bloods with a passion. He and his loyal Death Eaters tortured and murdered countless people; the newspapers were plagued daily with reports of attacks and the mounting death toll. And it had only just started. Dark times were upon the world of men...the end was coming.

As the students filed out of the compartment to begin their patrolling duties, Lily simply could not resist the urge to whisper, as Severus passed, "I won't be helping you this year, _Snivellus_." For the past six years, Lily had stopped James and his friends from torturing Snape with one spell or another numerous times, reprimanding them for their sometimes unprovoked actions. However, (she smiled sweetly at this thought) it was time for the new, rebellious Lily Evans to emerge—one who was not afraid to curse the heck out of certain wizards. Severus just gave her a scathing look as he brushed by, muttering out of the corner of his rather large mouth, "I'd watch out if I were you, Evans...the Dark Lord has a particular dislike for Mudbloods."

"Oh, I'm so scared," Lily retorted sarcastically, trying to control the wave of fear that was washing over her at his true words. Severus scratched his abnormally large, rather beaky nose and flounced out of the compartment without a backwards glance. Lily had just put one foot outside the door when she suddenly heard a whimper. "What a wimp," she muttered, performing the counter-curse and ridding Malfoy's body from the boils and goo.

In a compartment halfway across the train, there was a quite distressing situation occurring. "Oink oink oink oink oink!" Remus glanced over at Sirius and said rather calmly, "I think he is trying to tell you, Prongs, that he doesn't appreciate the fact that you refuse to perform the counter-curse to this spell."

"And also the fact that he looks like a pig," Peter piped in his high-pitched voice.

James, unconcerned, unwrapped a Chocolate Frog and used it to emphasize his points. "He was being an insufferable git about my love life...what was I supposed to do, mate?" Popping the frog into his mouth before it hopped away, he said through a mouth of milk chocolate, "Mim plejasjk aksle jkjaop!"

"Sorry, didn't catch that bit," Remus snickered.

"I said, "He's just jealous that I have a beautiful, intelligent redhead falling in love with me."

Lily stood shocked outside of the door at the words that had just exited his mouth. "Well, Potter, could you please repeat that? I could've sworn you said something to the extent that I am falling in love with you," she said coolly, walking into their midst. Lily had never seen anyone turn such a bright shade of red before...everything from James's ears to neck! "My, my, I didn't know the popular, handsome, conceited Gryffindor Seeker could blush so well," she cooed. It was then she noticed that all four occupants of the compartment were looking at her quite strangely...three wizards and a pig to be precise.

"You just said James is handsome," Remus said in a strangled voice.

"_!&($#&"_Lily swore under her breath. "Oh, I did?" she asked, feigning confusion but unable to stop the blush mirrored on her face. Nervously twirling a lock of curly hair around her pinky, she mumbled, "You're not hard on the eyes, James...I have to give you that."

"She's gone bloody mad!" stated an awed Remus in a stage whisper. "Not only did she say Prongs was good-looking, but she called him James!"

"So I did." Lily said defensively.

James was still staring at her like she had sprouted green spiky tentacles all over her creamy face. In a hoarse whisper, he said quietly, "You're actually being civil to me, Lily!"

A pig-snoutless Sirius, who had finally figured out the counter-curse on his wand, had to let his thoughts be known, as usual. He ran over to Lily, putting one slender hand on her forehead. "No fever...forehead normal to the touch...well mates, I'd say Lillian is in perfect health." He whispered slyly in her ear, "You can't pull that excuse." Lily glared at him scornfully and sidled over to James. Leaning over until her lips almost touched his face--"Cover your eyes, children...they're gonna kiss!"(Sirius)--she murmured in his ear, "If you value your life and want me to believe a word of what you wrote in those letters, I'd advise you to pretend this situation never happened." Lily's warm breath on his ear had sent James into a spiraling ecstasy, one where she and only she existed. Grinning most goofily, he answered, "As you wish."

"Aw, look, she's whispering sweet little nothings into his ear," Sirius sighed happily. As Lily hastily pulled away, she accidentally locked gazes James. Staring into his eyes, beautiful pools of hazel, the windows to his soul, the redhead felt herself begin to melt, until there nothing but of a puddle of Lily Evans on the plush, red carpet of the train. Heart beating furiously, she leaned closer and closer to the raven-haired man, until...

"Hate to break up the love-fest," Sirius sniggered, "but we have some company." Outside the door stood two girls; one, a tall, slim brunette often mistaken for a model and the other a pretty, petite blonde, both wearing identical expressions of anger that quickly faded to wide grins when they noticed how close Lily was standing to James. Lily, breaking out of her entrancement blinked as she remembered she had promised to meet her two best friends as soon as she could get off her duties, which would've been five minutes ago.

"Hey, beautiful," Sirius sauntered over to the brunette who immediately blushed and barely managed to flash a weak smile in return. Jenny Richards, though a very attractive young woman, was quite shy around guys and was unaware of her beauty and many admirers among the male population. Humble, loyal, and sweet Jenny; it was a huge surprise to her friends how she could be so wicked on the Quidditch pitch. Easily one of the most aggressive Chasers on the field, it was no secret that her skill and determination had ensured the victory of the Gryffindor team match after match. That, of course, in combination with James's phenomenal talent as a Seeker. (A/N: I know James was a Chaser, but bear with me. I like to have an extra connection/similarity between James and Harry.) It was also no secret that she fancied the suave, charming Sirius Black, though she would never admit it to his face.

Blonde, flirty Laura Ross, on the other hand, made her intentions towards Remus—or any guy, for that matter—quite clear. Giggly, witty, and always in the best of spirits, Laura was the equivalent of the golden sun piercing through the clouds on a cold, dreary day, brightening up the lives of those in her presence. Although she definitely had her faults (i.e., total obsession with guys, beauty, and fashion), Lily would never trade her ditzy, slightly plump friend for anything, especially since she was the only person at Hogwarts who could challenge Snape in the art of potion making.

"I missed you so much, Lils!" Laura yelped, hugging the redhead enthusiastically. "Come on, sista, we have a lot of catching up to do!" Showing an incredible amount of strength for someone of her short stature, Laura literally dragged Lily halfway out of the compartment, "Lils" throwing an apologetic smile at the Marauders—especially James—every step of the way.


	3. Of Fear and Sexy Toes

**A/N: I apologize for the slow first three chapters...there will be more action and Lily/James in the upcoming chapters! Remember, read and review if you enjoyed it, and I'll update ASAP!**

**ChiChi: Don't worry, I would never block anonymous reviewers...especially if their reviews are as nice as yours!**

**BeaumontRulz: Thank you a hundred times for your wonderful compliments, mate! You rock!**

**Stella Blu: It says nowhere in the five Harry Potter books that James is ever Head Boy or Lily Head Girl...for goodness sakes, James's wasn't even a Prefect! I tried to stay away from the usual Lily/James romance where they are Head Boy and Girl. James does excel at Transfiguration and Lily at Charms...he was just simply stumped on a question. Thanks for paying so much attention to notice those possible errors, though! **

**fairybells3: What can I say to my best reviewer? THANK YOU ever so much! I really appreciate the excellent praise...it definitely boosted my confidence in my writing, which has been lacking. I love writing about Sirius...he is quite a character (no pun intended). Glad you liked his antics! Again, thank you very much!**

**To all my wonderful reviewers....DANKE a thousand times(For non-German speakers, that means "Thanks!")**

"You've been keeping secrets from us, Lils," Laura pointed a finger accusingly at her friend.

Lily opened her mouth in protest and said defensively, "There's nothing going on between me and Potter. End of discussion!"

Jenny looked at her suspiciously, "Then why are you blushing, Lily? You guys were awfully close to each other...."

Hopping onto a nearby navy blue train seat, Lily cleared her throat loudly and announced, "Hear ye, hear ye: Lily Ann Evans does not like James Gerad Potter as more than a casual acquaintance." Then she noticed her two friends were doubled over in silent laughter as a result of her "speech." "Excuse me," Lily said rather crossly, "I did not find that speech in any way humorous...it's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so what the heck is the matter with you guys?"

"Your face is as red as that time you tripped in front of the whole Transfiguration class," Laura managed to gasp, before collapsing into another fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"As fascinating as my social life may seem..." Lily said frostily, fingering her wand threateningly. "Lighten up, Lils!" Jenny broke in soothingly. Then her face grew serious. "Did you hear about that attack this morning?"

Lily felt her heart plummet to the bottom depths of her stomach. "Attack?" she asked weakly. This morning she had overslept her alarm and woken up in a tizzy. There wasn't time to do much of anything except take a shower and hastily gather her school things, let alone peruse the headlines of the _Witch Weekly..._ "Yes, an attack," Jenny clarified gently. "In France. Four Muggles were murdered. Course those what do they call them? "puhlice" wrote it off as a freak accident, but we know better," she finished grimly.

Patting her best friend's shoulder reassuringly, she then pulled Lily into a tight hug. "Oh, God," Lily moaned, burying her face in her hands. "They're happening every day now...every morning I wonder if today will be the day, "He-who-must-not-be-named" will kill me—or the ones whom I love dearly." Eyes misting over as she thought of her parents, loving and innocent, and even her insolent prat of a sister, Petunia. And Jenny. Laura. Two wonderful young women who had compassionately befriended a timid, slightly nerdy Lily Evans six years ago, she admitted softly, "Every night I have horrible nightmares..." she shuddered, remember the previous night's...Laura and Jenny, both eagle-spread on the ground, dead. And Voldemort, somewhere in the background, his white face lit with glee, maniacal laughter issuing from his thin lips. Casually twirling his long black wand between his fingers, "You, Mudblood," came his cruel voice, "Are about to meet the same fate as that of your friends. Avada Kedavra!" he roared, as a flash of green light hit Lily square in the chest. This was when she would wake up, legs twisted in her sheet, beads of sweat glistening on her brow. Heart beating furiously, Lily would lay awake for hours, staring at her pale blue ceiling until eventually sleep would take her again.

To her family and those who knew her well, Lily Evans was always in the best of spirits—laughing enthusiastically at one of her father's corny jokes, playing duets with her mother on the baby grand piano, practicing new advanced spells and shrieking with joy when she succeeded. The truth was, however, beautiful, popular, intelligent, all-around perfect Lily Evans, loved by all (especially James) had been hiding behind a mask for many years, ever since Voldemort had risen to power. A mask of normality and happiness...one to cover up the fear and dread always threatening to take over her life. Giggling, pretending that life was just peachy...no one knew an inward battle for her sanity and soul was raging day in and day out, all because of a wizard named Tom Riddle.

"Lily," Laura cleared her throat, uncharacteristically serious. "We know you're scared. We're all scared. But the best three seventeen year old witches can do is act like everything's normal and go on living life to the fullest...guys included," she added with a mischievous twinkle in her turquoise eyes.

'_You don't know the half of it," _Lily thought bitterly, but, nonetheless she managed to crack a smile, "You're right...very unusual, as a matter of fact," she joked, bopping her fair-haired friend lightly over her head. Settling back in their seats, the three friends spent the remainder of the journey in companionable silence, only breaking in with the occasional conversation, each young woman deep in her own thoughts. '_So peaceful,"_ the redhead sighed, slipping out to perform more head duties. Meanwhile, further down the train.....

"I won!" Sirius yelled triumphantly, punching his arm in the air emphatically as James's stack of Exploding Snap cards incinerated, singeing his eyebrows to a lovely shade of burnt black. "What do you have to say for yourself, Prongs?" he asked smugly.

"You beat me," James admitted, defeated.

Cupping one hand behind an ear, Sirius trilled, "I can't hear you, mate!"

"I said, you beat me," James yelled through gritted teeth. Sirius ran a hand arrogantly through his silky black hair and smirked, "That's not enough, mate...admit that Sirius Black beats you in every aspect of life."

Remus then slammed his book, Defensive Magic Grade 7, closed so loudly that the sound made both James and Sirius jump out of their seats. "Honestly, mates, this is ridiculous," he snapped, rolling his eyes. The two paid no heed to his words, of course. "That's where you are incorrect, Padfoot," James said lightly. "I can knock you off your broomstick in Quidditch, and my marks are far superior to yours."

"Hardly," Sirius scoffed, a sinister sort of smile gracing his handsome features. "I am talking about your luck with the female population, of course."

"Below the belt," Remus warned quietly, for he knew that Lily Ann Evans was a VERY touchy subject around James. By now, some of the anger bubbling in the raven-haired wizard could be suppressed no longer. "And just what are you insinuating, Sirius?" James asked icily, taking a step closer to his friend.

"Just how you can't get the one girl you truly love," Sirius said calmly, enjoying the reaction he was causing in his best mate.

In a towering rage, James snarled, "Again that would be none of your business, dear Padfoot."

"Boys," Remus admonished in such a good imitation of the stern Professor McGonagall that Sirius looked wildly around the compartment for the young Transfiguration teacher. Shaking his head, Remus continued in a disapproving tone, "This is very immature behavior. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Then again, I would expect no better from you, Potter, and you, Black," he pointed to each of the guilty party in turn. The tension building up in the room immediately dissolved as Sirius let out a hearty chuckle. That set James off, who burst into uncontrollable laughter. "That was a bloody good imitation of ol' Minerva," James gasped, wiping tears of merriment from his eyes.

"To be accurate, Prongs, she's young and quite attractive," Sirius said with a devilish smile. "She obviously falls for my charms...notice how she always looks at me in that _certain_ way?"

James suddenly tackled Sirius, pinning him to the floor. "Minerva is mine," he professed dramatically. "All mine."

"I am hoping those words were just a figment of my imagination," Remus said in disbelief, turning back to his reading.

"You have to admit, Moony, that she's pretty hot," the Gryffindor Seeker joked, not relinquishing his hold on Sirius.

"Moony" simply sighed deeply and ignored his friends' silly antics. James and Sirius, though constantly bickering and teasing, shared a special bond that sometimes ignited the green-eyed monster of jealousy within him. The two were the closest of friends; brothers, really. So tight was their friendship that James trusted Sirius above all of his friends, and would, without any hesitation, freely give up his life for the handsome young man. Not saying he wouldn't do so for the others, but still.....

"We're there," Peter squeaked two hours later, clapping his hands together in glee. "That's a smart one," Sirius whispered sarcastically. His response was a swift kick in the shin. "Bloody, Prongs," he groaned. "What do you have in those shoes, bricks?" "Ten cute little toes," his friend whipped a shoe off and wiggled his –er adorable toes furiously in the air.

"A display I did not wish to see," Remus grumbled, pulling on his school robes. "Remus," Sirius said disbelievingly, "You can be a real party pooper sometimes. I for one like James's toes," he continued slyly, "Although they aren't nearly as sexy as mine." He slung an arm around James's shoulders and announced, "This year, mates, James and his semi-sexy toes are going to catch Lily Evans!"

The owner of the semi-sexy toes shrugged the arm off and replied most seriously, "I bloody hope so."


	4. The Welcoming Feast

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long. I've been extremely busy with school and music, and have recently joined the pit band for my school's musical, which equals many frequent, long rehearsals. Anyway, I'll try to crank out another chapter ASAP, hopefully in the next week and a half or so, but I can't make any promises. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers I love you guys SO much! Everyone, please read and enjoy, and of course, review. I'm a bit worried that I'm taking this story too slow and it's boring...honest opinoins and constructive criticism are welcomed with open arms! There will be tons of Lily/James interactions plus action in general in the rest of the story;I just had to get the introductory sort of chapters out of the way. **

As usual, Lily's breath was taken away by a mere glimpse of the high turrets of Hogwarts. The majestic castle, set against the backdrop of a clear summer night's sky teeming with twinkling stars was enough to invoke a sense of awe in all fortunate enough to behold the sight. She heard the cries of wonder from a group of little first years as they eagerly their necks to catch a better view. One of the young girls in particular caught her eye. Standing well over five feet tall, the 11-year old had the appearance of someone who had grown rather quickly in a short amount of time. Her worn blue jeans, ending a good two inches above her ankles, baggy olive green t-shirt that drew even more attention to her skinniness, and a wild, rebellious mass of warm brown curls (more accurately described as an out-of-control bush) hinted why she was not part of the giggling mass of prissy, pretty little girls who had just stepped off the Hogwarts Express. Even at a young age, the first years appraised potential friends by beauty and social status...neither which the girl appeared to possess, in their eyes. Cautiously walking towards the lone figure, Lily said softly, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Lily Evans. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

"Potter. Rosie Potter," she whispered in a sweet sort of voice, timidly taking Lily's outstretched hand. The fear and anxiety in her pure blue eyes could not be hidden as she peered apprehensively at the intimidating castle. Her eyes widened further when she took in the shiny badge neatly pinned on Lily's black and red robes. "You're Head Girl," she stammered.

"Yes," Lily clarified gently, "And as Head Girl, I guarantee there is nothing to fear. You'll have a wonderful time at Hogwarts, Rosie..." she trailed, name recognition dawning on her. "Wait a second...are you by any chance related to James Potter?"

"He's my cousin," Rosie pretending to wince, stifling a grin. Truth be told, no matter how mischievous, annoying, or plain stupid James Potter could be at times, she could scarcely stay mad at her charming cousin for more than a few minutes a problem all of his acquaintances shared.

"I pity you," the 17-year old muttered darkly.

Feigning shock at her words, the brunette asked, "Why?"

"That insufferable git," Lily said hotly, "is an annoying, bigheaded, stupid, arrogant toerag!"

"You forgot clever, witty, intelligent, and extremely good-looking," a rich voice butted in, sending shivers wracking up and down Lily's spine. "_Stop it, you,"_ she thought furiously, frantically swiveling her head around to locate the source of the cold breeze and wrapping her warm cloak closer to her delicate frame. The owner of the voice bounded over to the pair, stopping in front of his cousin and cried dramatically in a VERY fake French accent, "Madamesoille Rosie, howz zcorking itz iz to zee zyou!" Then, in the typical overzealous European style of greeting, he took her head into his hands and kissed her soundly on each cheek. "Zand zmy zdear Lily Zevans...zit iz vonderful zto zlook zupon zyour zfair face zin zthis dark zhour!"

"Don't even think about it, Potter," Lily warned, knowing fully well what was going to unfold next as he took a step closer. Tenderly, he brushed a stray curl off her creamy complexion and quickly, with a mischievous yet slightly wary (very unusual for the ever-so-confident James Potter) glint in his hazel eyes, he lightly touched his warm lips to each of the redhead's silky cheeks in turn, leaving her skin tingling in the wake. Both seemed to realize what had just occurred when they sported identical, fire engine-red blushes. A slight look of amusement crossing her olive face, Rosie cleared her throat loudly and fought back a giggle at seeing her sophisticated cousin so flustered. James wasn't the best Seeker the Gryffindor house had seen for nearly half a century for nothing, though. His lightning-fast reflexes quickly snapped him back to his senses, and he looped an arm around Lily's slender shoulders. "I see you've met my girlfriend, Lily Evans?"

"You wish," the girl in question snorted, keeping her eyes trained on the ground as to not reveal her true feelings.

Picking a piece of imaginary lint off of the tousled black robes she had just pulled on, Rosie snickered, "Dear cousin, if you were dating Lily right now you would be off in some broom closet.." She broke off as James treaded not-so-lightly right on top of the mustard stain on her purple and white tennis shoes.

"Actually, Lillian," he said loudly, "I have come as your knight in shining armor to save you from terrible evil- _McGonagall's wrath_," he added in a half-whisper. "I assure you, she will not be at all pleased to find her Head Girl shirking her responsibilities already."

Lily could only imagine the thin red line the Transfiguration professor's mouth would be transformed into when she that the poor little first years only had Lucius Malfoy for comfort and guidance in their time of worry. Reluctantly wiggling out of James's hold, she called commandingly towards a small knot of young witches and wizards, "First years, this way," leading them towards the edge of the water. The lake, its glassy surface broken only by the occasional ripple was home to approximately twenty little boats that were gently bobbing up and down, waiting for their passengers to embark. Watching the beautiful redhead with a wistful, almost longing expression, James affectionately ruffled his cousin's brown curls and gave her a small push in the direction of the lake. Halfway there, however, Rosie turned around and said quite seriously, "Good luck, James."

* * *

"The reject's boat," Rosie thought ruefully, taking in the appearance of her other two passengers and soon to be fellow classmates at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. One, a very chunky black-haired girl with a major acne problem whose excessive weight made the boat tip precariously to one side, would definitely beat up anyone who merely looked at her in the wrong way. The other, a slim blonde, had to be permanently sucking on a particularly sour lemon, or so her expression indicated. "Er, hello," Rosie said awkwardly. She received a steely glare and a sneer in response. It was going to be a LONG year.

* * *

"Alas, another year has begun at Hogwarts," Albus Dumbledore began majestically after the Sorting had finished, silencing the chattering students with one slender hand. Rosie, Lily noticed with satisfaction, had been sorted into Gryffindor and was sitting a few seats down from her, looking a great deal happier than at their first meeting. 

"The normal school rules are in effect, which a few of our older students would do good to remember," he added, with a large wink in the direction of the Marauders, who immediately became very interested in the goblets set before them.

"Do you reckon this is solid silver, mate?" Sirius murmured out of the corner of his mouth, running a hand through his silky black hair as he noticed some pretty Ravenclaws eying him with obvious interest. The two blondes blushed as he flashed a charming grin and wiggled his eyebrows. "Dunno," James stared at the petite redhead two places down from him, absentmindedly carving the initials "LE" into the wooden table with his wand.

"The full list of the 95 rules can be found posted on the bulletin board in each Common Room," the headmaster continued, "And I promise you, disobedience of these rules will result in unpleasant punishments." He inclined his head towards James and Sirius, who sat up straighter and had identical angelic expressions mirrored on their handsome features.

"Do you reckon he's talking about us, Prongs?" Sirius feigned disbelief. "We did receive thirty detentions last year," James pointed out, pretending to count them on his fingers. "Ten alone for that time we bewitched all the toilets in the castle to regurgitate their contents."

"That'll have to change this year," they snickered in unison, already plotting the newest wicked pranks for their final year at Hogwarts.

"Shut up, you two!" Remus hissed crossly, poking James very hard in the ribs and turning his rapt attention back to Dumbledore's speech.

"It always bewilders me why McGonagall didn't assign him to be a Prefect again this year," Sirius snorted.

"Now that I have the attention of every student in the hall," Dumbledore's said gravely, as his face grew serious and a feeling of apprehension immediately blanketed the Great Hall in anticipation of his words, "As you are all undoubtedly aware, Lord Voldemort's power is growing stronger every day. He is gaining supporters at an alarming rate and becoming bolder in his attacks and plans. Therefore, I must beg you to stand strong together...enemies and friends alike. It is only when differences and discord break the bonds of fellowship and love between us that the shadow of Lord Voldemort's evil can prevail. If given the chance, he will feed upon our fears and weaknesses and destroy us all. However-"his voice rose and changed to a more hopeful tone as he sensed the feeling of doom washing over everyone, from the first years, to the seventh years, and even the teachers. (With the exception of one table, of course. Lucius and his Slytherin buddies were snickering and muttering under their breaths about how their mate Voldemort could take on Dumbledore any day and win. But that was where they were dangerously wrong, and they knew it. To the normal passer-by, Albus Dumbledore was a tall, 60-year old man with a long silver beard, twinkling blue eyes, and half-moon spectacles that he always peered over quite magisterially, clad in a rather strange sort of clothing; flowing robes of midnight blue. Ha. As if. Albus Dumbledore was believed by many to be the most powerful wizard in the whole world...and the only person Lord Voldemort feared. But even Dumbledore, wielding such great magical power, could not defeat the Dark Lord).

Dumbledore continued, "Hope is to those who remain true to each other and fight for good to triumph over evil in this war" (His eyes flickered over to the Slytherins, who dared to smirk in response). "That said, take caution and tuck in!"

The chatter and applause that would usually break out after one of Dumbledore's opening speeches was strangely muted. His words had seemed to bring the harsh reality back to those who were trying to live life as normally and happily as possible even with a Dark Wizard wrecking havoc all over Europe. Slowly, however, the buzz of talk and laughter reappeared as the wooden tables creaked and groaned under a vast array of delicious foods. Sirius reached for a chicken leg and practically inhaled it in one bite. Washing it down with a mouthful of icy pumpkin juice, he swallowed. "So, what do you reckon our chances are for the Quidditch cup this year?" he asked, purposely breaking the anxious mood. "With yours truly as their brilliant Seeker, bloody good," James answered arrogantly, stuffing a crisp roll into his mouth.

"Gentlemen, you know what this means!" Sirius cried. Sadly, his three companions never found out because...

"It means you are an obnoxious git besmirching the honored house of Black," a voice cut in silkily. Eyes narrowing, Sirius slowly turned around to find his dear cousin, Bellatrix Black flanked by none other than Snape, Malfoy, and another Slytherin, Rudolphus Lestrange. "Bella. How nice to see you," Sirius said sarcastically "How's ol' Voldie doing...or are you not on a first-name basis with the Dark Lord yet?" Rudolphus's pudgy fist came out, but Lucius intercepted it realizing they were in front of all the professors at Hogwarts. "How dare you speak his name!" Bella spat furiously, shaking her head of curly jet-black hair in rage. It was a pity, really, that someone so beautiful, like his cousin, with her perfect figure, almond-shaped eyes, cascading curls and olive skin, could be so cruel and cold.

"Defending him now, are we?" Sirius snorted. "How many Muggles did he murder yesterday...twenty? Oh, sorry, I forgot—you were probably there in your mask and black robes helping him!"

"For your information," Lucius informed him snidely, "One does not enter the service of the Dark Lord until he or she is eighteen years of age."

"And you would know how?" James smiled grimly, aware that he had caught Malfoy in the act of admitting his desire to join Voldemort's ranks.

"Tell me, Bella, why do the Death Eaters hide behind masks? Are they too cowardly to show their faces and receive credit for the "heroic" deeds they have accomplished; slaughtering hundreds of innocent people?" Sirius taunted.

"I could kill you and that low-lying scum just like that," Bella hissed.

"Oh, something else you've learned from that bloody !#!#!#!#?"

Instantly, Sirius knew he had crossed the line. Eight wands were simultaneously drawn (the Marauders' and the Slytherins') and four wizards had jumped to their feet, eight mouths opening to spit out a nasty curse of some sort.

"Dueling in the Great Hall," Professor McGonagall screamed, storming over to the Gryffindor table, face livid with rage. "All of you out...NOW!"

"But Professor, no one used any spells!" James protested weakly, looking forlornly at his half-filled plate as she gestured furiously for them all to follow her. Some might say that that would be a foolish move on Minerva McGonagall's part, taking on eight seventh-year students on her own, four of them potential Death Eaters who probably knew and wouldn't hesitate to use the Unforgivable Curses, but, like the Dumbledore, she too was full of surprises. Graduating the top of her class at Hogwarts years ago, McGonagall could have easily succeeded as an Auror—and a bloody good one at that. She performed the most advanced magic with ease, and was an Animagus, taking the form of a rather stiff tabby cat at will. No students would be foolhardy enough to challenge her, whether they were part of Voldemort's ranks or not. "Explain." she snapped when they were out of hearing range of the curious ears in the Great Hall. Sirius put on his most charming grin (one that even Professor McGonagall found hard to resist) and said sweetly, "Those four got a bit shirty with us when we insulted You-Know-Who."

"Remus, is this true?" she demanded, looking at the most honest of the eight for a clear answer. "Yes, ma'am. "

"In that case," Professor McGonagall's anger began to diminish; also attributing to this was that James was flashing his famous Potter grin in her direction. "I will give the headmaster the joy of deciding what punishments you four will receive. Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew; this way please, back into the hall...I will let you off with a warning this time," she finished calmly, as Albus Dumbledore walked serenely through the ornate doors of the hall, towards the no longer cocky Bella, Rudolphus, Severus and Lucius. Sirius shook his head, disappointed, as he settled back into his original seat and said sadly, "And I thought she was going to give us detention...we would set a Hogwarts record by being the first students to get in trouble on the first day."

"Life is sometimes unfair," James agreed solemnly, patting his best friend sympathetically on the arm.


End file.
